USING
PUBLIC TELEPHONES There are several phone companies
operating coin boxes or "Cabinas de Telfono"
however the most common is Telefonica which is the Spanish equivalent
to BT. It is also now possible to
send text messages to mobile phones from public phones
and most enable you to change the language by pressing
the button with the flag. You will also find telephones
in bars and restaurants. You can use either euros, phone
cards or your own credit card, there is a minimum charge
of €2.50 when using a credit card though!! Once you
have put in your coins or card, wait for the dial
tone. The tones are quite different to those in the
UK, the ringing tone is quite long, while the engaged
tone is short and rapid. Public phones only return whole
unused coins. All calls are cheaper after 10pm during
the week,after 2pm on Saturdays and all day on Sunday.
PHONE
IN YOUR HOME If you are moving to Spain you will most likely
want telephone service in your home. In
most cases this is not a problem but on
occasion if you are moving into an area
where construction is not yet complete you
may have to wait. Also due to the increase
in fraud by foreigners here in Spain sometimes
you may have to wait longer for verification
of your identity. The
first step is to call Telefonica, this can
be done from a phone box, landline and a
Spanish mobile . Simply dial 1004. Due to
the increase in Brits there are more and
more English speaking operators so simply
say "inglaze por fahvour " [ this
is how it sounds not spelt !!]
Have
your address, passport number, bank details
and a contact number ready. Don't go into
a shop as this often adds to your waiting
time. You will normally receive a bill every
two months, however if you have [ADSL][Broadband
Internet service] then you will receive
your bills monthly. The bill is paid by
equivalent of direct debit. The standard rental phone
is called the [Domo] and is available in Black
or White. There are a variety of features
including:
Call waiting Three way calling Answering service Sending voice messages to
other landline numbers
If you can read Spanish you
are away !! If not read on !
Your phone has an automatic
pass code of "0000". You
will need this to change the language to
English Instructions
for changing the language [idioma] to English.
Pick up the phone and press
the [Mensajes] button or just wait
Press
1 to enter personal options Press
4 to change language Dial
access code 0000 Press
3 for foreign language Press
1 for English Press
1 to confirm
Now
you have changed the language change your
access code this will allow you to remotely
access your messages from anywhere in the
world. Simply by dialling your number, when
your greeting is playing press the * key
then enter you acess code followed by the
# key. Download
FREE copy of the English translation of
the instruction handbook OK
so now you have a phone you will want to
connect to the internet to stay in touch
with family and friends! so be sure to visit
the computing
section here
MOBILE
PHONES Your UK mobile will
work
in Spain utilising the "roaming service"
but you must have this service activated before you
leave the UK. If you are on a UK Pay as you Go you must
have sufficient credit on your phone as you will be
charged to receive calls while on roam and this can
be very expensive. Alternatively if your phone is "unlocked"
and free to accept any provider you can purchase a Spanish
Sim card from various shops [Amena, Movistar & Vodafone]
the price varies according to the amount of credit that
you require. You can generally buy a card for €30 which
includes €26 in credit .
UNLOCKING
YOUR PHONE There
are a variety of
free online services
that give you the
details of how to
unlock your phone,
you will need the
serial number of
your phone . Click
here to visit site
